The Halting Point

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Laser can track movements in 3D space and in realtime.

Researchers A. Cassinelli, S. Perrin, and M. Ishikawa from the Ishikawa-Namika Lab at Todai (short for Tokyo Daigaku which translates to Tokyo University) have created a laser system that can track natural gestures of say...a finger tip or ping pong ball in realtime and then take the data from that and map it in three dimensional space using modeling software.

Now, I don't have to tell all you geeks about what kind of doors this opens up for us gamers....this baby can track multiple objects (albeit at a slower speed) without needing an additional hardware setup, you could do WAAAY cooler things than what the Nintendo Wii's remote will let you do. Imagine a fantasy game where you are a wizard....instead of being limited to making gestures with a wand (with the Wii) to cast your spells, imagine being able to make complex hand gestures and have recognition software in the game that can determine how accurate your movements are and if you got the spell correctly it would cast it, and if it was close, there might be variations, it might fizzle, etc. Suddenly you can take a game like WoW that is all grind and hitting buttons at the appropriate intervals to a game that requires a LOT of skill to be a caster. Especially for higher level spells when you are in the middle of combat and speed and accuracy are essential.

I'm sure there are other applications beyond gaming, but for now all I can think of is making the coolest magic-based fantasy game ever!

Monday, June 26, 2006

Old School Daft Punk video from Even Further in Wisko.

I have a flyer for this party on my wall! It was a rave in Wisconsin called 'Even Further' and was a huge event. This video rocks and shows what Daft Punk used to play before they went all cheesy with French House which, honestly I don't love. And they are not mixing vinyl, they are using special hardware decks that let them mess with music samples they have saved and they create the music on the fly. Its really incredible stuff to watch up close as the flow of it is intense.

Another good live PA person to watch is Skylab 2000. Awesome sets. Anyway, enjoy the freakin video!

DDR God. Who cares if its DDR, it rocks.

I'm not a huge fan of DDR, mostly because I don't like the idea of dancing being confined to 4 squares. Oddly enough I also dislike Square Dancing. Perhaps I just have an aversion to squares.

In any event, there are times when even if you dislike something, you still have to stare in awe at someone who has taken their "thing" if you will, and just takes it to a nigh unattainable level. Every skill in life has this level. For some its being an incredible athlete, for some its being exceptionally creative, and for others it demands the attention of others due to the sheer jaw-dropping coolness of it. This is one of those things.

Yeah, I still am not a fan of the game, but this guy rocks and I hope the arcade at least refunded a portion of the hundreds of dollars he must have spent there to practice enough to do this.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Yoda backpack? Millenium Falcon Transformer? Good day indeed.

Today is a good day indeed. Just found out there are two new Star Wars products that are t3h r0xx0rs. First off is the Yoda backpack. Now you too can relive the stinky training Luke received on Dagobah!

The second completely awesome toy is a Millenium Falcon Transformer! According to the description and photo below, it looks like there are two separate parts that individually transform into Han and Chewie, complete with their weapons, and then these combine to make the Millenium Falcon. There are also mini-figs to stick inside.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Want to cancel your AOL account? HAHAHHAHAA!

A very kind (and agitated) soul has recorded his experience with trying to cancel his AOL account. As you will soon hear it is no easy task. I feel only the slightest amount of sympathy for the AOL employee since it is a mark on his record if he is not able to retain the customer, but he chose his job so its his problem.

Not much to write about, just listen and laugh! To the guy whose .mp3 I am hard-linking to, apologies. You've already been hit by Digg so my site can't do much damage on top of that.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Gnarls Barkley, Star Wars Style.

This picture sums up why this is such a cool video. There's really not a whole lot to say other than this is Gnarls Barkley, performing his hit song "Crazy" with his entire band dressed up as different characters from Star Wars.

I won't completely ruin it for you by telling you who they have costumes for, but they are all very high quality costumes and this video is sure to bring a huge shit-eating grin to any Star Wars fan's face. If anybody has any links to high resolution images from this, I'd LOVE to make a framed poster out of a Storm Trooper playing the bass.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

SPIN: God Is A DJ. Coolest Music Video Evar!

Even though I am a huge fan of electronic music, I've never been much of a fan of their music videos. They tend to be a bit too much on the artistic side (and this is coming from an art school graduate) and don't make much sense.

This video is completely different. It is actually a short film created by Double Edge Films and is all over YouTube and Atom Films.

Summary:"A mysterious DJ is sent to a busy city block to mend a series of tragic events that occur in our everyday lives."

While the video techniques to create this movie were simple, the execution is brilliant and the choice of beats mesh seamlessly with the action. You can download the track played in the film from the Double Edge website.

So click below to watch and enjoy this excellent video narrative masquerading as an electronic music video.

Monday, June 05, 2006

YO GABBA GABBA! For little kids, or stoned college students?

It looks like Teletubbies wasn't trippy enough for children. There's really not much I can write to prepare you for the shroom-induced odyssey that is YO GABBA GABBA! From their site:

Yo Gabba Gabba! is a fun live-action program for young children ages 1 and up. Join our host DJ Lance Rock as he introduces us to friendly toy monsters in a magical land full of music, dance, colorful cartoons and simple life lessons that will get you and your children up off the floor to learn and dance along. Muno, the red cyclops, Foofa the pink flower bubble, Brobee the green little one, Toodee the blue cat-dragon, and Plex the robot are ready to sing, play and teach whenever you're ready. Just say the magic words! YO GABBA GABBA!!

I personally think they should get together with Augenblick Studios, creators of the fantasticly edgy Wonder Showzen and make an adult version of this show. Be sure to watch the trailer below. I think Sponge Bob has some new competition in hazy smoke-filled college dorms across the country.

A Day In The Life Of Mario

Thanks to my hookup over at Nerfect (He makes and sells cool geek stuff) for sending me this video featuring everybodies favorite plump plumber. I mean, who HASN'T wondered what Mario would be like if he lived in the real world? And no, I'm not referring to the old live action Super Mario Bros. show or the movie. Nice use of sound effects.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

The toilet backpack, perfect for yuppies who like to camp.

So I'm in a crappy mood (no pun intended) because I had written a beautiful long story and then my browser crashed on me. Rather than rewrite it, I am instead sharing with you all my new found wonder invention of the day....the portable backpack toilet!

No longer must you brace yourself against a tree in the woods, or feel the burn from squatting for longs periods of time to enjoy a simple crap in the woods. Just unfold, unzip, and crap away! It uses standard 4 gallon garbage bags and any type of absorbant pads (diaper pads, maxi pads, you name it). $25 at Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us.